Addiction is a serious problem that all
humans face. The average adult will spend 3 hours, 43 minutes on their phone every day. Why
do we continue to spend hours every day on our phones?
One of the very addictive features of
phones is called the slot machine effect. It’s that feeling of anticipation
when you pick up your phone.
You never know when you’ll get an
important message, or if you’re missing out on something valuable. This creates
a weight that’s constantly on your shoulders.
Psychologists have a term for that
irresistible feeling of unpredictability. It’s called intermittent rewards.
This means that anticipation can be “rewarded”. This is when you finally get an
important text. You have about a 10% chance of actually receiving this
“reward”.
A slot machine also has the same mental
effect. Your chance is small, but you take it anyways. Why? Because when you win you get a release
of dopamine.
Dopamine is a brain chemical that is
released to make you happy. For example, after you do physical
exercise, that dopamine is released. This is the same thing that is in
vapes, making them so addictive. Every time you receive a notification,
dopamine is released.
That’s why you check
your phone so much because sometimes you get rewarded. The
little piece of technology in your pocket is basically a slot machine.
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